Confronting the past
by onewhodied
Summary: Right after the final battle some of the Harry Potter characters find themselves in the Room of Requirement to confront and learn the truth about the last seven years.  -Yes, another "Reading the books"-story
1. After The Battle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. Harry Potter, the characters and everything out of the books belongs to J.K Rowling.**

**Confronting the past**

**Chapter 1.: After the battle**

It was finally over, all the Horkruxes were destroyed, Voldemort was dead.

Sadly Voldemort wasn't the only one dead. So were Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Colin and so many others.

Many of the survivors were injured, some only minor cuts and bruises which would be healed in a second, others severe leaving scars who would only fade over the time.

Hogwarts, the place of what they now called the "the final battle", now resembled more to a ruin than to a school.

Chunks of walls were missing, staircases were destroyed, furniture was ripped apart by curses which had not reached their destination. Some things were still burning, the flames only dying down slowly.

Hogwarts was now merely a shadow of what it had once been: A place for adventures, pranks and sometimes even interesting, live-changing lessons and a home for the students and the teachers, in some cases also the first real home.

One of those cases was Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, the chosen one and newly named "master of death". Harry himself had, with the help of his friends of course, had managed what no one else could have done. He had killed Tom Riddle, formerly known as Lord Voldemort, one of the most-feared dark wizards.

Finally there could be peace once again. It would take time of course. They all needed to heal, physically and mentally. They had to bury the dead, the bodies of their loved ones, rebuild the Ministry of Magic, release the innocent, revise laws and, of course, catch all the death eaters who had managed to escape after Voldemorts death.

There was a time for everything, but this was not it. This was the time of grief and celebration after a sleepless night of fighting. Most of the survivors were in the great hall, sharing their happiness and grief now it was all over, the golden trio however, wasn't.

They had just left the headmasters office after Harry's talk with Dumbledore, he had left the Elder Wand there, he would return it later to Dumbledore's tomb where Riddle had taken it a few hours ago.

The three of them didn't want anything else but sleep now, a warm bed was everything they desired, everything else would be a matter of time, they would talk about everything later since the night's event had not yet sunken in.

So much had happened that night, so much that it still felt rather like a dream than reality.

The trio was on their way to the Gryffindor common room, unknowing that they wouldn't reach their destination.

With a slight "pop" the trio vanished from the corridor, unnoticed, only to find themselves in a room which resembled to their common room but yet wasn't.

Alarmed they drew their wand at once, looking around for the someone who had summoned them.

Harry instantly noticed the resemblance to their common room.

The room was round and cozy, lit by only one fire from a huge fireplace on one side. On each side of the fireplace was a staircase leading upstairs. In a half-circle around the fire-place were several sofas and an armchair, cushions and blankets lying on each.

On the other side of the room was something which seemed to be a kitchen, Harry could see a several cabinets and an oven, on the counter lay many fruits and vegetables in at least five large bowls. He could also see a big table with fourteen chairs around it.

Just now he noticed that there were several other people, apart from Ron and Hermione in this room. Harry quickly raised his wand, his senses still alarmed from the war, ready to jinx any enemy until realized he knew all of them.

It were the remaining Weasleys, who, in no other words, looked terrible, Fleur, Luna, Neville and, to his astonishment; Professor McGonagall.

"What the - " began Harry but was interrupted by Ron's "Bloody hell" and Hermione's yelp of surprise.

"May someone tell me what is going on here?", demanded Professor McGonagall.

"No idea, Professor. We were on the way to Gryffindor Tower and we ended up here.", answered Harry, still alarmed but slightly calmed since there weren't any death eaters in the room.

The other's also didn't look like they had any idea how they ended up here.

"We were just in the great hall - ", started Neville, but Luna interrupted him.

"Somebody must have send us here ", said Luna in her dreamy voice, "whoever it was must have had a good reason to do so. Otherwise he would have waited after everything was less chaotic. You should lower your wand Harry, we won't attack you, you know."

But Harry didn't, he still half considered it being a trap until he heard Hermione's voice. "Harry, look! There on the table by the fire. A letter!"

He saw it, too. On a coffee table by the fire-place which he had failed to notice before lay something. That something turned out to be books. On top of the books lay a letter. He went to get it, but Ginny was there first. She opened it and began to read:

" _To all of you,_

_do not worry, this is not a trap. Voldemort is dead, once and for all._

_You are in the Room of Requirement. Despite this night's events it was not destroyed._

_I brought you here because all of you have suffered, endured terrible losses and great amounts of pain and looked death in the eye tonight._

_I know you want to rest and probably want to forget this night's events, but you need to confront what has happened. You need to understand how you have gotten to this point. And you deserve the truth about the things that have happened the last few years._

_It all starts with Harry's entry to the wizarding world and therefore everything you will read about is from his point of view. _

_I am sure you will soon find a liking in Harry's perception of certain things._

_Once you have finished reading you will be able to leave this room._

_I assure you, you will not miss any events outside this room while you are here. _

_Time is frozen outside this room while you are here._

_The world will not go on without you._

_Have fun."_

"There is no signature", said Ginny.

"Let me have a look, maybe I'll be able to recognize the handwriting" said Harry, reaching for the letter. Just in this moment, the letter vanished.

"Of course, it vanishes, why did we even expect something else.", muttered Ron. 

"'Have fun.'", snorted George, "of course, there are no other things for us to do, are there?"

"George, stop that.", said Mr. Weasley quite firmly,"it looks like we don't have much of a choice."

"Well", said McGonagall, "we might as well start reading than if all of you are okay with that?"

Since nobody could think of anything else to say or were preoccupied with thinking about who might have written that letter, they sat down near the fire.

Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny sat on the biggest sofa opposite to the fire-place.

On their right, in two two-seaters, sat Luna and Charlie as well as Bill and Fleur.

On their left sat Neville, in the only armchair in the whole room, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who had taken the now twin-less George into their middle, which left Percy and Professor McGonagall on their far left on another two-seater.

Meanwhile Hermione had started examining the books lying on the coffee table. It were seven, one for each year since Harry had entered the wizarding world.

"I think this one is the first" stated Hermione, Crookshanks, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, on her lap.

"How do you know that? And where did Crookshanks come from?", asked Ron who seemed to have thought the same.

"I don't know either, but it's the Room of Requirement after all. And well, the book is called 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone' it's pretty obvious I think.", said Hermione, scratching Crookshanks behind his ear.

"Okay, that's bloody obvious.", laughed Ron.

"I'll start reading than, but I think we should take turns reading. From left to the right if you're okay with it."

"Alright, just start then.", sighed Harry, wanting this to be over as fast as possible since he had a slight foreboding it would be embarrassing for him.


	2. The Boy Who Lived

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. Along with everything which is written in bold letter it belongs to J. K. Rowling.**

**Confronting the past**

**Chapter.: 2 The Boy Who Lived**

**"The Boy Who Lived"**, began Hermione.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

"So that's before Harry moved in then", grinned Ron.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

"What are drills?", asked Ron with a puzzled expression.

"A muggle thing to make holes into walls.", explained Hermione curtly and quickly started reading again because Mr. Weasley's eyes had lit up at this piece of muggle technique.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours. **

"They sound really lovely.", said Charlie in a sarcastic sort of voice.

"Believe me, they are.", said Harry

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

"Definetely not"

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"Gits. What kind of family are they?", said Bill, looking disgusted.

"Well, you heard the bit about them 'not holding with such nonsense'.", said Harry, "Magic falls under that category."

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing ****husband were as unDursleyish** **as it was possible to be. **

"I that even a word?", , asked Ron.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"A child like that!", roared Mrs. Weasley,"He's a nice boy, not a demon!"

"Molly, we all know that", said Mr. Weasley, "But I don't think they care at that moment, they haven't even seen him yet."

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. **

**Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. **

"'No finer boy anywhere', of course.", snorted Ron.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. **

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"That's really a nice child, decorating the walls with cereals. Must have looked really good.", said Ron, trying to stifle his laughter.

**"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map. **

"Whoever this might be.", smiled Mr. Weasley, casting a glance at Professor McGonagall.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. **

"Of course, since there is no other possibility."

**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, _looking _at the sign; cats couldn't read maps _or _signs. **

"Normal cats can't.", smiled Mr. Weasley

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. **

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. **

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. **

"Blimey, they really hate everything that's not normal, do they?", asked Ron.

"Yep.", answered Harry while Ginny casted a look at him. She didn't like the way this was going.

**He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. **

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes that would be it. **

"No offense, but he really is thick"

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. **

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning**. _**He **_**didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

"Really, they're just owls, what are they so exited about?"

"Ron, most muggles had never seen an owl before, they usually come out at night, when most people are asleep. There's the muggle post to sent letters and packages", explained Hermione and continued reading.

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at night time. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"Loud kind of person, is he?", commented Percy

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery. **

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. **

**This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —" **

" — **yes, their son, Harry —" **

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. **

"To bad he didn't.", muttered Harry darkly.

"Harry, don't say something like that.", scolded Hermione.

Ginny shot him another look. She knew that Harry didn't like the Dursley's and that they were anything but nice to him, but before Harry wished for someone to be dead there had to happen a lot.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialling his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking … no, he was being stupid.**

"He is.", grinned Ron.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew **_**was **_**called Harry. **

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

"Those are really bad names", exclaimed Ginny, "Why would anyone name their child Harvey?"

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if _he'd _had a sister like that… but all the same, those people in cloaks… **

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. **

"**Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passers-by stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing ****could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! **

**Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" **

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"I bet that was Dedalus Diggle.", said Mr. Weasley, "He never had much sense about hiding from the muggles."

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination. **

"Come on Dursley, what would life be without imagination?", said George, still not sounding like his usual self.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. **

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. **

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. **

All of them knew it had to be McGonagall now. She sure was the only cat to give someone a stern look.

**Was this normal cat behaviour? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. **

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). **

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: **

"_**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" **_

"_**Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." **_

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

Mr. Weasley groaned. "I understand that all of them were really happy that night but that's just irresponsible. Even the muggles noticed that there was something going on"

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. **

"Bad question." sniggered Charlie.

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?" **

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…" **

"_**So?**_**" snapped Mrs. Dursley. **

"**Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… **_**her **_**crowd." **

"**Her crowd. Why can't he just say wizards? It's not that hard", said Bill**

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son — he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?" **

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly. **

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?" **

"God. That's such an ugly name for a child: It sounds like coward.", groaned Ginny.

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"I like it."

Mrs Weasley eyed Ginny suspiciously, but didn't say anything.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." **

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. **

"I was.", said Professor McGonagall.

"What were you waiting for?", asked Ron.

"You'll see."

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters **_**were **_**involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect **_**them**_…

"I guess he was wrong about that", said Harry.

**How very wrong he was. **

"See."

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all. **

"Really, that's creepy", said Charlie, imagining a cat that never moved.

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. **

Ron had raised his eyebrows.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known." **

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. **

"The deluminator!", exclaimed Ron. The little device he was so happy to have was still in his pocket. He had never put it out of reach since it had shown him a way back to his best mate and the love of his live.

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. **

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." **

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked. **

"Everyone who has once seen your animagus-form would have known, Professor McGonagall", said Luna, "You don't act like a cat at all, you just look like one."

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." **

"See."

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall. **

**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." **

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. **

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." **

"**That really was irresponsible, no matter how happy they were.", said Mr. Weasley.**

**She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense." **

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years." **

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumours." **

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles **found** out about us all. I suppose he really **_**has **_**gone, Dumbledore?" **

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. **

**"We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?" **

**"A _what_?" **

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of." **

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who **_**has **_**gone —" **

"**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_**Voldemort**_**."**

Nobody in the room flinched and not even Ron complained about the name being spoken out loud. It was all over now, only the memories would remain and slowly fade.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, ****seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." "I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, **_**Voldemort**_**, was frightened of." **

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have." **

"He probably had, he just didn't use them.", said

**"Only because you're too — well —_noble _to use them." **

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." **

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the _rumours _that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" **

Harry groaned "Here we go again."

"What do you mean?", asked Ginny.

"You'll see."

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer. **

"**What they're **_**saying**_**," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. **

**The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — _dead_."**

The atmosphere was now at an all-time-low and Ginny now understood what Harry had meant. He must be tired by now hearing the story all over again, it wasn't one that was meant to be a bedtime story.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. **

"**Lily and James … I can't believe it … I didn't want to believe it … Oh, Albus …"**

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know … I know …" he said heavily. **

Hermione now read faster as if sensing that everybody wanted is to be over. They really didn't need more depressing things to think about.

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. **

**But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone." **

**Dumbledore nodded glumly. **

"**It's — it's **_**true**_**?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done … all the people he's killed … he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding … of all the things to stop him … but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"I guess we all would like to know that.", said Professor McGonagall, looking thoughtful and even though Harry knew the reason by now he wasn't going to tell her, the books would probably do anyway.

**"We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know." **

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?" **

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_**why **_**you're here, of all places?" **

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now." **

**"You don't mean – you _can't _mean the people who live _here_?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!" **

Harry felt a rush of gratitude towards Professor McGonagall. She had tried to stop Dumbledore from putting him there.

"**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." **

Hermione stopped. "A letter? He thought it would all be explained through a letter?", she asked, wearing a look of pure disbelief.

"Seems like that, doesn't it?", said Ron, "I mean that's Dumbledore, he was a bit mad sometimes."

"But still, how can you put something like that in a letter? I mean Lily was her sister after all. That's horrible.", exclaimed Mrs. Weasley,"He should at least have explained that personally."

"I don't think so.", said Harry. "It's not like they would have cared anyway." 'And they might have refused to take me in' he thought.

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? **

**These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!" **

"Just how he likes it." sniggered Ron.

**"Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?" **

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it. **

"That would have been ridiculous. He might have fitted into one of Hagrid's pockets back then, but not into Dumbledore's", said Charlie.

"**Hagrid's bringing him." **

"See."

"**You think it —**_**wise **_— **to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore. **

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?" **

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. **

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so _wild _— long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?" **

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

Harry smiled sadly at the mention of his godfather who had died two years ago.

"To bad it's broken now, it saved you two times.", said Ron, not noticing the glint in his fathers eyes.

"**No problems, were there?" **

"**No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

"You really are a natural flyer Harry. Other babies would have probably been terrified of flying that high.", commented Charlie.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

**"Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever." **

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" **

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. **

McGonagall groaned in remembrance. That had really not been the time for a joke.

**Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with." **

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house. **

"**Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog. **

"Aww, he really likes you, Harry." grinned Ginny.

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!" **

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —" **

"**Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

"You left Harry on the doorstep?", asked Mrs. Weasley exasperated. "How could you do that? Think about what could have happened to him!"

"Yeah, didn't Dumbledore think about that? I mean he was one. He was most likely able to walk at that age. Not to mention that he could've crawled down the road." Ginny stopped at that point, she didn't want to think about all the things that could have happened to Baby-Harry that night.

"Well...he didn't that's all that matters, isn't it", said Professor McGonagall, her cheeks slightly pink.

looked like she wanted to say something but luckily Hermione shut her up by continuing, so Harry didn't have to tell Mrs. Weasley that the Dursley's probably wouldn't have taken him if anyone else seemed to care.

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out. **

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations." **

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir." **

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night. **

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. **

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer.**

"It's a deluminator!", exclaimed Ron.

**He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. **

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. **

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on**

"Good thing he did", muttered Mrs. Weasley.

**, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles,**

"Well, t'at must'ave been a shock. Imagine a baby lying on t'e doorstep", said Fleur.

**nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley… He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"**

"And the nickname was born.", sniggered Ron.

"Shut up." groaned Harry and threw a cushion at him.


	3. The Vanishing Glass

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. Along with the text in bold letters it belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you like it. I'll try to keep updating as fast a s possible, I hate hate waiting for people uploading on stories as well, though I can't promise on keeping the daily upload. No matter, I'll at least upload once a week, if I manage more, you'll get more.**

**Confronting the past**

**Chapter 3.: The Vanishing Glass**

Hermione passed the book to Harry and he started to read

"**The Vanishing Glass"**

"Wait a second, I reckon we should get something to drink before we start reading", said Ron, "I feel like I've been walking through a desert."

"God idea, Ron. I'll go and look if there's something in the kitchen.", said Mrs. Weasley, seeming happy to have finally something to do apart from listening.

She went to the the kitchen and looked through the various cabinets. "It seems like there is a rather large stack of butterbeer and pumpkin juice in here. Charlie would you help me?"

The both of them managed to carry fourteen bottles to the fire, seeming to have forgotten they could have just used magic for the time being. After everyone had sat down again, the bottles had been passed and opened, filling the air with a nice scent beside the cracking fire, Harry started reading again.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-coloured bonnets —**

"Flattering description, Harry", laughed Ron.

**but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. **

Mrs. Weasley scowled at this, Ginny and Hermione also didn't look happy at all.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day. **

"**Up! Get up! Now!" **

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. **

"What a nice way to be woken up", growled Ginny. She would make sure he would never be woken in such a nasty way ever again.

"Come on, that's nothing compared to Hermione. You nearly scared me to death that one christmas, just standing in our dorm like that. Don't look at me like that, it was scary." said Ron, trying not to look at Hermione who had looked at him darkly when he mentioned her.

"Why was Hermione in your dorm?", asked Bill.

"Nevermind.", muttered Ron, his ears turning red.

Harry, who knew this was sign of embarrassment for Ron, continued reading.

"**Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"I have the funny feeling that this wasn't a dream but a memory.", stated Bill.

**His aunt was back outside the door. **

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded. **

"**Nearly," said Harry. **

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

"So you aren't as hopeless as Ron when it comes to cooking, I guess. Ron's cooking is terrible, he manages to burn everything.", said Ginny, trying to ignore the feeling that he had 'to look after the bacon' more than once.

Harry didn't fail to notice Hermione's smirk, she clearly remembered Ron complaining about her cooking abilities while they had been on the run.

Harry couldn't help it and started grinning.

**Harry groaned. **

Mrs. Weasley frowned, but once again didn't say anything. Clearly the book would provide a reason why Harry reacted like this when he noticed it was his cousins birthday.

"You don't like your cousin.", said Luna, more like stating the fact than questioning.

"You could say that."

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door. **

Ginny raised an eyebrow at this. "He didn't say anything."

"**Nothing, nothing…" **

**Dudley's birthday — how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider**

Ron shuddered

**off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept. **

"WHAT?", roared Ginny to everybody's surprise. Most of them had expected Mrs. Weasley or Hermione to react like this, but definitely not Ginny.

"HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO YOU?", shouted Ginny, now directed at Harry, who slightly backed away. He had expected her to be upset, but not like this.

"You know, it wasn't that bad. -", be began but was interrupted again.

"Harry James Potter, don't you lie to me.", said Ginny, trying not to shout again. It wasn't Harry's fault after all. She couldn't guarantee this forced calmness if she was ever going to meet the Dursley's, she would probably hex them back into the last week.

"It definitely wasn't nice in there, you know, there were spiders and that cupboard was always full of dust, no matter what, but I didn't know anything else so it really wasn't that bad.", explained Harry, carefully choosing his words. "I would've liked to have another room, with a window and a nicely made bed but it was okay. And that was along time ago, you really shouldn't get upset about thing that are long since over, Gin."

"But I can't stand their attitude. How could you let a child live in a cupboard?", asked Ginny, not really expecting an answer.

"That's the Dursley's.", said Harry as if that would explain everything. "Look Gin, you can't always react like that at anything bad that is mentioned about them. I guess there's a lot more you would like to shout about, but do me a favour, calm down. It's over.", he kissed her on the forehead and sat back down, Ginny in his arm, her head laying on his shoulder.

"So you are together now,", asked Bill looking slightly amused as did Charlie. Ron had looked away at their kiss, he apparently still didn't really like the idea of his best mate and his only sister being together. Percy looked astonished, while his mother had tears in her eyes. "So that really makes you part of the family now, Harry.", she said, "I was surprised about Ron and Hermione being together, but this..."

"But this is more than anything we could have wished for.", ended Mr. Weasley for her, smiling at the couple.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. **

"That must have been a lot of presents.", goggled Ron.

**It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. **

"Why would he want a racing bike, Harry?", asked Ron, raising his eyebrows. He had once seen Dudley and he definitely hadn't look like someone who enjoyed physical activity.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise — unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"That'll better not be you.", muttered Ginny.

**Dudley's favourite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast. **

Ginny groaned, of course it had to be Harry.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. **

"Nah, that'll be the genes, he was scrawny and little for years.", grinned Ron.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and bright green eyes.**

Ginny smiled. Harry had really been cute at that age, not that he wasn't still but he had of course matured and thereby lost the "little boy charm" he once had.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it. **

"**In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.**

"They told you your parents died in a car crash?", asked Mrs. Weasley disbelievingly.

"Yeah.", said Harry.

"But that's horrible.", they should've told you the truth."

Harry continued reading, not willing to talk about that any more.

**"And don't ask questions." **

**Don't ask questions — that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

"Of course, because there is absolutely no need to ask questions to learn.", said Hermione sarcastically. This rule must have hit a nerve.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. **

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Won't work.", sang Ron, Hermione and Ginny grinning.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place. **

Ginny smiled, that was just the way she liked it.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig. **

Most of them sniggered at this and even George cracked a smile. Who had known Harry had a sense of humor?. Only Mrs. Weasley didn't laugh, she simply couldn't understand how someone could let his own child get so big.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell. **

"**Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year." **

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy." **

"**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. **

"Merlin, what a spoiled child.", said Mr. Weasley

**Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over. **

"And know we learned the reason why Harry is such a fast eater.", sighed Hermione.

"I don't eat that fast!"

"Yes, you do. You're always finished eating at least five minutes before I am...and at least fifteen minutes before Ron"

Harry chose not to answer and started reading instead.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?" **

"And now they show him that there's nothing wrong with his attitude.", groaned Mrs. Weasley.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…" **

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"**Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then." **

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. **

"**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair. **

"'Little tyke'", snorted Charlie.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. **

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried. **

"Uh-Oh.", said Ron, "That can't be any good."

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him."**

**She jerked her head in Harry's direction. **

"He has got a name you bloody git.", exclaimed Ginny.

"Watch your language, Ginny.", scolded Mrs. Weasley.

"But it's true!"

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned. **

"Poor Harry.", said Ron.

"Come on, it isn't that bad.", said Hermione.

"You have never seen how many cats she had", muttered Harry darkly.

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again. **

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested. **

"Isn't that the one you blew up?", asked Ron grinning.

"Yep.", grinned Harry.

"**Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there — or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug. **

Ginny sighed and leaned closer to Harry.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?" **

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia. **

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

"I don't think that's going to happen.", said Bill.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon. **

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled. **

"Come on, he won't blow up the house.", groaned Ginny.

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave him in the car…" **

"He isn't a dog.", yelled Hermione like the Dursley's would take her opinion into account.

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…" **

"Of course, that car is more important than him."

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted. **

"That would have never worked with Mum", laughed Ron.

"**Dinky Duddydums, **

They all laughed at this stupid nickname.

**don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. **

"**I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. **

**Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. **

"Imagine his friend seeing him crying, that would destroy his image for years.", sniggered Ron.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. **

Ginny took Harry's hand, already making plans for them once all matters had been cleared.

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm ****warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas." **

Mrs. Weasley growled, how could they even think of locking Harry in a cupboard.

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…" **

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

"That's just sad.", stated Hermione.

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen. **

"Uh-Oh, sounds like accidental magic to me.", said Mr. Weasley, looking interested at the things Harry had made happen.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." **

"That must have been a cool haircut Harry.", snorted Ron, earning him a smack over the head from Hermione.

"That's not funny Ron.", she scolded.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses.**

"See. It must have been horrible."

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. **

"Good one, Harry.", grinned Charlie, giving him a thumbs up.

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly. **

Charlies grin slipped hearing this. "But they can't punish you for accidental magic, you didn't do that on purpose!"

"They hate magic, Charlie."

"But -"

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). **

"**Eww, that's really ugly", said Ron, scrunching his nos in disgust.**

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. **

**Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished. **

"Lucky you. But how could she think it must have shrunken if she believed it would have fitted you, Harry?", asked Percy.

"I don't know. I think they tried their best to ignore magic, no matter how thick the explanation might be.", answered Harry. It was really strange having Percy back on his side.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **

"You flew?", asked Hermione, looking impressed.

"I guess so. I never really found out what happened."

"Maybe you apparated.", stated Ron.

"I don't think so."

"Why not, it is possible, isn't it."

Instead of answering he continued reading.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trashcans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump. **

"Okay, I guess you flew than. Otherwise you would have noticed some sort of noise, I guess.", said Ron, remembering the slight 'pop' one could hear every time apparating.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. **

"Harry, stop saying something like that, you'll jinx it.", said Ginny, hoping that nothing would go wrong on that trip.

**It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room. **

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favourite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

**"… roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them. **

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying." **

"Bad move, Harry", commented Bill.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a moustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" **

**Dudley and Piers sniggered. **

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream." **

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas. **

"As if. He has enough dangerous ideas without watching cartoons.", snorted Ron.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. **

"At least you got some ice cream.", said Hermione, trying to be happy for young Harry.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head that looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. **

"Really?", asked Luna.

"Yeah, he really does. It's actually a bit creepy."

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favourite hobby of hitting him. **

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. **

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Dun Dun Dun."

"Ron, stop doing that."

"Sorry, 'mione."

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. **

"**It has to be really boring, just lying around all day, being stared at.", stated Charlie.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils. **

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge. **

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on. **

"**This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. **

"Poor bloke.", said Ron, which made Hermione leaning closer.

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house. **

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's. **

**It winked.**

"But that's -"

"I know Hermione, just let me read, okay?"

"Okay."

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. **

"Harry.", groaned Hermione. That wasn't acting 'normal' like Mr. Dursley had wanted Harry to act.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: **

"**I get that all the time." **

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying." **

**The snake nodded vigorously. **

"Wait, are you talking to a snake?", asked Charlie.

"Yep, it came in quite handy.", answered Ron for him. "Especially in second year."

Ginny paled considerably at the mention at her first year at Hogwarts.

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked. **

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it. **

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil. **

"**Was it nice there?" **

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" **

"Here it goes. Harry you really should have been more carefully.", said Hermione

"I know that now."

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could. **

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. **.

"What a git.", muttered Ginny.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of **horror.

"What did you do?", asked Charlie exitedly.

"You'll see.", grinned Harry.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. **

"Blimey Harry, that was cool.", shouted Ron, grinning from one ear to the other.

Even Mr. Weasley smiled at this little accidental revenge.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. **

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo." **

"No problemo."

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. **

"**But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?" **

"Poor muggle, that must have been hard to explain.", commented Mr. Weasley.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**.

"Merlin, doesn't he realize he's going to get Harry into trouble?", asked Hermione angrily.

"I don't think he cared, love."

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy. **

"No meals? NO MEALS?", raged Mrs. Weasley, unable to hold her anger anymore. "NO WONDER HE'S SO THIN."

"Harry, how...how -", sobbed Hermione. She couldn't bear it anymore. That was child abuse and nothing less from what she had heard before. She leaned towards Ron, crying less loud into his shoulder.

"How did you manage to survive?", asked Ron, now regretting once again that he had ever envied his best mate. Harry's childhood must have been hell compared to his.

"I don't know. I just did, like always.", shrugged Harry, slightly blushing.

"Yeah."

All the other people in the room looked sad. No matter what they had just experienced, it was just sad. Ginny didn't rage like her Mum, even though she was angry, she tried her best to keep calm. She was also wondering how he had managed to turn out so well after having been treated worse that a doormat sometimes while hiding er face in the crook of his neck.

After Mrs. Weasley had finally calmed down and Hermione had stopped crying Harry continued reading.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food. **

Mrs. Weasley growled.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

"**You remember that?", asked Mr. Weasley, looking as shocked as everyone else.**

"Yeah.", said Harry, a sad smile on his lips. Ginny snuggled closer.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. **

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. **

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. **

Hermione bit her lip, restraining herself from telling harry that it would get better.

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. **

Mr. Weasley groaned, he shouldn't have noticed.

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look. **

"They apparated even though they knew there were muggles nearby.", stated Percy, seeming to adjust slowly to their new situation.

"Percy, do us a favour and don't ride on the rules while we're in here. That's annoying.", said Bill. He hadn't had the nerve to deal with rules just now. He was too exhausted.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"Bloody Hell, Harry, your cousin is a fat git!", exclaimed Ron and even Mrs. Weasley didn't have the heart to scold him, he was right after all.

"Anyway, that's the and of the chapter.", said Harry, wanting to give the book to Ginny as she was the next one to read when he noticed she looked really tired. Looking back up he noticed, that most others did, too. Fleur's head lay on Bills shoulder, Neville tried to hide his yawn while Luna yawned openly.

"I think we should pause here, Harry. We really need to sleep. I think we should better do that now before it gets really exiting, you know", stated Luna.

"And we should eat something.", said Ron, "I'm hungry."

"Is there a time you aren't, Ronald?", asked Hermione, causing Ron's ears to gain a slight red colour.

Harry couldn't deny it, they all were exhausted and needed sleep, though he wasn't hungry at all. While most of the others, excluding George, whom he could understand why he wasn't hungry or at least thirsty, and Ginny, who seemed to tired to do anything at the moment, had finished their butterbeers, he hadn't. As a matter of fact he seriously doubted he would ever feel hungry again, not after this night and especially after the strange events now.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley made herself busy in the kitchen, undoubtedly cooking one of her delicious meals, perhaps including three additional servings for Harry after she had learned about this part of his past.

After dinner Ron had found out that the upstairs room's had several nice, comfy beds ready for them. One was slightly larger, holding nine beds, the smaller one five beds. Both rooms had a separate bathroom, so they could finally get cleaned up.

Only when Harry had finally got into bed, he realized how tired he really was...


	4. Letters from No One

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. Along with the text in bold letters it belongs to J.K. Rowling. **_

**First of all, thanks or the reviews. I really appreciate it when people take the time to leave a comment. Whether it may be compliments or critique, feel free to do so. **

**Same about spelling/syntax errors. I'm not a native speaker so there may be errors I fail to notice.**

**Second, I am terribly sorry for keeping you waiting so damn long, but my HDD crashed with all my data and all the chapters I had already written, meaning I had to rewrite EVERYTHING which annoyed the hell out of me. **

**Especially with this chapter. The first part was considerably longer and I had to rewrite it several times to make it feel right and it just got lost like that. The ones of you which hold a experience similar to this may understand why I hadn't had the nerve to go back to writing right away once I had gotten a new HDD.**

**Third, I have been asked if I'd bring Draco Malfoy into the story, giving him the opportunity to change for the better.**

**I won't do that for multiple reasons. It would be awkward for another character to pop up, just like that, into a 'sealed society' which are all chosen for a particular reason and not just for their personal benefit. Also, Draco owes Harry for saving his life two times, both of them know that and it would be really awkward for them to interact, let alone have a death eater in the very room they are doubting to be safe. And yes, I still consider him to be a death eater, despite him and his family abandoning Voldemort before his death. He joined, even if he never wanted to kill someone and stood behind his stupid pure-blood-beliefs for years. **

**He may get the opportunity somewhere, but not in this story which is set directly after Voldemorts death. It's already kinda awkward with Percy being there even though the Weasleys have decided to forgive him, how would it be with someone who is still questioning what is right?**

**But now have fun with the next Chapter.**

_"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour..."_

He awoke with a start, panting, trying to shut the rests of his dream out of his mind. 'It's okay. It's over'

Not wanting to wake anyone else he decided to make his way downstairs as quietly as he could. To his surprise, he wasn't the only one who hadn't been able to sleep.

In front of the fireplace sat Hermione, once again inspecting the books. He cleared his throat as not to startle her and sat down next to her.

"Don't worry, I'm not reading them, just examining. Still I can't find a trace of where they came from. Or more like how they came here"

"And how we ended up here", added Harry.

"Well, yes.", sighed Hermione, "But nothing. The one who did this must be either really sneaky or really skilled. Or both. I don't like the idea of someone being able to put us where he wants."

"I don't either. But I suppose we just have to go with it for now, it's not like we can do anything. Also, the person in this letter...didn't sound bad, did he? Sounded like he knew how we'd react. Even wished us fun."

"Yeah, it didn't sound like someone wanting to harm us...but still..."

"I really hope so, I reckon it would only take us a few days, give or take."

"It's somehow like Dumbledore did, isn't it? Leaving almost no clues but wanting us to do something. Anyway, the letter said we could leave once we're finished. Still, we don't really know how long it'll take us, do we?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, those books seem to be accurate.", she said, slowly, watching his reactions. "That means everything will be in it. Everything we've done and seen.", she trailed of.

Everything they had done and seen. That didn't only include every reckless adventure of them but also the death of many, the return of Voldemort and the things that had led to his downfall.

"I see...that could be difficult." He sighed. "And I don't like the idea of everyone reading from my point of view." he grumbled at that thought. "But I suppose we can't do anything about that either."

"I don't think so. But I really do hope everyone will be okay with reading on. I'm particulary worried about Mrs. Weasley and George...I think it's them who'll be affected the most."...

A few hours later, after a nice and big breakfast, which had been much to quiet, they had again settled down in front of the fireplace.

Ginny started to read

**Letters From No One**

"Hogwarts letter, I suppose", said Mr. Weasley smiling.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started **

Mrs. Weasley glared at the book.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. **

"Poor Mrs. Figg"

"Why do they even buy these things if he destroys them anyway?", asked Bill with a puzzled expression.

"Because they can, probably. They like showing off, just like Malfoy.", Ginny said, continuing to read.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. **

"This logic is unbeatable. No wonder groups like those don't work long", said Hermione

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favourite sport: Harry Hunting. **

"Who would've guessed.", said Ron

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. **

"Don't worry about it, you'll never go there anyway", smiled Bill.

**Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"What's so funny about that?", asked Charlie

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

Mrs. Weasley glared at the book again while Hermione just sighed.

"You should stuff his head down the toilet.", grumbled Ginny

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." **

Laughter burst out at that.

"Harry", said George, a tiny grin on his face, "I had no idea you were this funny"

"I don't think the toilet will get sick from having a human's head down it. It may like it compared to what's eating on other days.", said Luna, being completely serious.

**Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said. **

"That should've taken a while"

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs Figg's. **

**Mrs Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years. **

"Eww", said Ron, "Thats's disgusting."

"It actually was okay, it hadn't gone bad or something", defended Harry.

"Maybe it was homemade, not everyone is good at cooking."

"...or baking."

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. **

"How could this be a school uniform? They must've looked like idiots."

"You're forgetting THEY ARE idiots, Gin", reminded Harry her, "But he did indeed look slightly dumber than usual."

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life. **

" 'Good training for later life' - What kind of school is this?", asked Hermione disbelievingly.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. **

"Yes, totally handsome, who wouldn't want to look like that."

**Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. **

"I feel you, Harry, that must've been hard."

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water. **

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question. **

"How could you, Harry?"

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

**Harry looked in the bowl again. **

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

"I don't think sarcasm will work on her, Harry.", said Mr. Weasley.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." **

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. **

**He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably. **

Laughter burst out again.

"Seriously Harry, you have to stop thinking like that or I might break my ribs next time", commented Neville, holding onto his ribcage, shaking with laughter.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table. **

"Imagine doing that when Mum's around.", said Ron, wearing an horrified expression.

The Weasley boys looked scared only thinking about it.

**They heard the click of the letter-box and flop of letters on the doormat. **

**"Get the post, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper. **

**"Make Harry get it." **

**"Get the post, Harry."**

**"Make Dudley get it." **

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley." **

"What's with this stick. I doesn't hold ANY real use, does it?", asked Bill.

"I s'oppose it's just for the students not hitting each other. If most of them are like Dudley, this was probably a good idea", shrugged Harry.

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the post. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was holidaying on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — _a letter for Harry_. **

"It probably was a good thing to make you get the post Harry,", said Hermione, "otherwise you might have not gotten it."

"You'll see", grinned Harry, 'Hogwarts made sure I've gotten my letter after all'

McGonagall held a knowing smile, she had, after all been part of the actions to make sure he got his letter.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives **

Mrs Weasley scowled.

— **he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake: **

_**Mr. H. Potter  
>The Cupboard under the Stairs<br>4 Privet Drive  
>Little Whinging<br>Surrey**_

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. **

**There was no stamp. **

"You were wondering about the stamp but not about the address?", asked Hermione, holding a tone of surprise.

"Well, as it says, I haven't gotten any letters before and a missing stamp is quite obvious, isn't it"

"Well, yes. But you read the full address didn't you?"

"Oh, gimme a break, the whole letter was strange, wasn't it?"

"Why? As far as I can see, it is fairly normal.", asked Ron.

"Well, muggle post is different, as you should know. There normally is a stamp on it. Also, nobody uses parchment and if somebody still uses ink, it, normally, wouldn't be green since it is harder to read for the postman.", answered Hermione.

"Well, since this is answered, why don't you read on?" said Harry quickly, sensing that Mr. Weasley was more than interested in this matter.

Ginny got his hint and quickly read on.

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter _H_. **

"Hogwarts", whispered Hermione, remembering her very own Hogwarts letter.

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke. **

"Oh yeah, laugh at your own jokes."

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope. **

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard. **

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…" **

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!" **

"Damn git." Ginny had been hoping that nobody would notice what Harry was doing.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

The audience groaned at this.

**"That's **_**mine**_**!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back. **

"Which would have probably worked if you hadn't been so scrawny back then.", said George.

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge. **

I think you might be a bit overcreative with that Harry, reprimanded Hermione.

"Oh come on, it wouldn't be half as interesting if he wouldn't exagerate", grinned Ron.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped. **

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise. **

"Attractive"

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick. **

"The first good thing he's done"

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly. **

**"**_**I **_**want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's **_**mine**_**." **

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope. **

**Harry didn't move. **

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"The first taste of his famous temper.", said Ron grinning.

**"Let _me _see it!" demanded Dudley. **

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them.**

"That must be the only time when he's treated Dudley as badly as Harry," Ginny said hotly.

**Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor. **

Mrs. Weasley sighed but didn't say anything.

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?" **

**"Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"They are paranoid.", stated George, "I like that."

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —" **

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen. **

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer … yes, that's best … we won't do anything …" **

"They really should have written back, it would have been much easier.", said Ron

"But how? You can't just give a letter to ANY owl. How where they supposed to find one? Plus Harry didn't know anything, shouldn't have someone have gone to his house as to explain the situation to him? Like they're doing it with muggle-borns?", asked Hermione, casting a look at McGonagall.

"It was Dumbledore who suggested to do it this way. He probably had in mind that there would be some problems with his relatives.

Mrs. Weasley looked like she wanted to ask about this but Ginny read on, the book would most likely explain this.

**"But —" **

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

Mrs. Weasley looked like she was on the verge of tears, again.

"Stamp out that dangerous nonsense. I can't believe it. What kind of people are those?", muttered Charlie.

"Bloody hell.", said Ron he couldn't believe it.

Ginny was swearing under her breath so her mother wouldn't hear her, but started reading again as she saw the uncomfortable look Harry was wearing. If he wanted to talk about this, he would do it when he was ready to do so.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard. **

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?" **

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it." **

"He didn't..." said Bill.

"He did. Every single one."

**"It was _not _a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it." **

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. **

Ron cringed.

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful. **

"What is he up to. He must be up to something", said Charlie

**"Er — yes, Harry — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking … you're really getting a bit big for it … we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom. **

"SECOND BEDROOM? IF I EVER MEET THOSE PEOPLE...?", screamed Mrs. Weasley, looking furious.

**"Why?" said Harry. **

"Harry,", groaned Ron, "Why are you asking this. Can't you just take a good thing without doubting is."

"Why should I?, I mean look at him,, it was suspicioius."

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now." **

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. **

'There were at least two rooms which he could've had and he had to stay in a cupboard. I guess Harry wasn't exagerrating'

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbour's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favourite program had been cancelled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched. **

"Great, that rooms just full of junk no one would need anyway.", snorted Ron.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't _want _him in there … I _need _that room … make him get out …"**

"As if he'd need it. Didn't it just saay most of the stuff's broken?"

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it. **

"Why did you want that letter so badly?", asked Neville, an eyebrow raised. "You didn't even know that it was your Hogwarts letter, did you?"

Harry wanted to answer but Hermione took the words out of his mouth.

"Imagine that you've gotten a letter, an unusual one, too, and your grandma being terrified of you reading it and, without providing a valid reason, taking it from you. You would also want to have it, wouldn't you?"

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof,**

"Oi, that poor turtle didn't do anything to you!", exclaimed Charlie.

**and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly. **

**When the post arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. **

George snorted, "Trying to be nice, my arse."

**They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand. **

**"Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley — go — just go." **

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

Ron and Hermione sighed simultanusly.

"What's up?"

"Not much, really. Only...Harry's plans weren't actually always the best in our first year."

"Sorry, Mate but 'Mione's right."

"I know that, I just wish she wasn't on that one."

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights. **

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door — **

**"AAAAARRRGH!" **

"GINNY! Would you stop that, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"But Mom, it's written in bold, I'm supposed to say it like that."

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something **_**alive**_**! **

"The turtle?", asked Charlie, not seeming convinced of his own idea.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the post had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink. **

**"I want —" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. **

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. **

**He stayed at home and nailed up the letter-box. **

"That won't help.", grinned Mr. Weasley, not unlike his sons.

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't _deliver _them they'll just give up." **

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon." **

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. **

"And his mind doesn't?"

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the letter-box they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. **

"See? They'll always find a way to deliver the letter."

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out.**

**He hummed "Tiptoe through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. **

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two-dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. **

"Wicked."

**While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor. **

**"Who on earth wants to talk to _you _this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy. **

"W'y would 'e be 'appy?"

"You'll see.", said Ginny.

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —" **

"There's no post on sundays?", asked Mr. Weasley, seeming to find this new piece of information on muggle post rather strange.

Hermione explained one again. "Since the post is delivered by other muggles, they have sundays and holidays off. It's only fair and the society has adjusted itself to it."

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one — **

"Why didn't you just take one from the floor?"

"Dunno. I guess I was to exited to think straight."

**"Out! OUT!" **

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor. **

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his moustache at the same time.**

**"I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" **

**He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag. **

"He really shouldn't have hit him", began Hermione, "but still..."

"Before Hermione could continue she had started reading again, noticing that her father was probably burning to ask what a VCR was.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. **

**"Shake 'em off … shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"Now he's really gotten mad.", stated Bill. He was wondering where this journey would go until Harry would finally get his letter.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. **

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering… **

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table. **

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr H Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." **

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address: **

_**Mr H Potter  
>Room 17<br>Railview Hotel  
>Cokeworth <strong>_

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared. **

"Don't just stare, do something!", Hermione seemed to be furious for a reason Harry couldn't quite grasp. For her it had only been a few letters, after all.

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room. **

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

"Looks like she knows they can't escape those letters."

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a ploughed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage. **

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. **

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared. **

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled. **

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a **_**television**_**." **

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it **_**was **_**Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. **

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year; the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. **

"Really nice presents, bet they were proud at having chosen the best things to get a 10-year old." Hermione was obviously liking the Dursleys less and less.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day. **

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. **

"Not good."

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought. **

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!" **

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there. **

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" **

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-grey water below them. **

"Sounds creepy.", Ron shuddered.

"Well, it was creepy. At least that guy who had lent us the boat."

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!" **

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house. **

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. **

"Sound homey."

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of crisps each and four bananas. **

"That should last a few weeks then." Ron tried to make his face match with his joking manner but failed miserably.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty crisp bags just smoked and shrivelled up. **

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver post.**

"Seems like he has forgotten he's fighting against wizards.", commented Neville. There sure were ways to deliver post if it was really needed.

**Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all. **

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket. **

Harry could tell from hearing her voice how angry Ginny was at the Dursleys for treating him like this.

Mrs. Weasley was now glaring at the book as if it was the personification of Vernon Dursley. Hermione looked as if she had wanted to say something but remained silent.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now. **

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. **

"Harry, could you please stop thinking like that? You're destroying the atmosphere.", grinned Ginny.

It was really hard to remain a calm voice when he was so funny out of nowhere.

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow. **

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? **

"Oh, pleaze don't."

Mrs. Weasley was clutching her hands onto her face.

"Mum, you know Harry's okay, don't you?", asked Bill, quietly looking at his mother.

"Yes, of course." She removed her hands from her face. "It's just so gripping."

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds … twenty … ten … nine - maybe he'd ****wake Dudley up, just to annoy him **- **three … two … one … **

**BOOM. **

"GINNY! Didn't I tell you not to yell?"

"Well, technically you didn't."

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"That was the chapter. Who's next?"


	5. The Keeper of the Keys

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. Along with the text in bold letters it belongs to J.K. Rowling. **_

"Seems like it's my turn.", said Luna, less dreamy than before.

**The Keeper of the Keys,**

"Must be Hagrid", guessed Charlie

**BOOM. **

This had quite the effect. Neville had fallen out of his chair, Hermione shrieked, as did Molly. No one had expected Luna, who read in a calm, almost soothing voice, to yell like that.

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. **

"There isn't any, you fat whale.", said Ron.

**"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly. **

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them. **

"So he's been prepared to shoot at incoming letter?", asked Bill, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!" **

"Which would totally help against a bunch of owl. Warning them – my arse."

"Ron, would you stop that. Also that's most likely Hagrid."

"Even if, that rifle still wouldn't help."

**There was a pause. Then — **

**SMASH! **

This time they had been prepared for Lunas loud voice.

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. **

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. **

"Definitely Hagrid then.", said Charlie.

"Nice description Harry.", grinned Ron.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all. **

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…"**

"Only Hagrid...", sighed Molly, shaking her head.

"At least he broke the tension.", smiled Harry. "I probably would have been terrified if he hadn't said something."

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear. **

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger. **

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon. **

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant. **

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile. **

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes." **

"First of at least a hundred people saying this.", grinned Ron.

"Well, it was nice when he said that, was the first time after all."

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. **

**"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!" **

"As if he would care, you dumb git.", said Ginny.

Molly looked like she wanted to scold her but she stayed silent.

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. **

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on. **

"How do you recognize that sort of sound, Harry?", asked Ginny, looking confused.

"I don't. Must be something the author put in to make the reader understand it. Might fit, though."

**"Anyway — Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." **

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with **_**Happy Birthday Harry **_**written on it in green icing.**

"Aww."

"That was really nice of him.", said Arthur.

Harry smiled, too, it had been his first birthday cake he could remember.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"Mind your manners, Harry.", reprimanded Molly.

"Sorry. But he got there out of nowhere."

**The giant chuckled. **

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." **

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm. **

"He was really exited to get you Harry.", grinned Ginny

"Could be, I didn't really notice back then."

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." **

Mrs Weasley groaned.

"It's Hagrid, Mum. What do you expect?", said Ginny.

"And he's not gonna be drunk from this anyway. He's part giant.", added Charlie.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath. **

"That was really nice of him, it was summer but that night wasn't anything like warm"

"Must be because your near the sea. It's always colder on the coast.", said Hermione "And it must've been cold. Didn't you earlier think about how it would be warmer if the ceiling crashed", she added amused.

A slight blush crept up Harry's face. He indeed had thought about this.

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. **

Molly groaned again. "How could he, in front of you. And he was on duty."

"Mum, I already told you, it wouldn't make him irresponsible. I'm more interested in what other things are in his pockets. Is there anything he isn't taking with him?", said Charlie, wondering.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." **

"As if that fat whale needs any more fattening.", said Ginny.

"Ginny...", Molly started.

"Mum, that wasn't even a swear word. Don't go scolding me for things like that. Remember what you said only a few hours ago?"

Molly blushed and gestured for Luna to read on.

**The giant chuckled darkly. **

**"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." **

"Right. He's just sitting there, roasting sausages in a magically lit fireplace. That must've been strange.", said Arthur.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. **

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course. "**

"And Harry doesn't know anything, this'll be good.", feixed Ron, earning himself a slap over the head from Hermione.

"This is not funny. It is horrible that they kept this from Harry for so long."

**"Er — no," said Harry. **

**Hagrid looked shocked. **

"No wonder. Hagrid has been sent there just to get you and now he has to explain everything", said McGonnagal, remaining calm.

**"Sorry," Harry said quickly. **

"Don't be sorry Harry. It's them who should apologize.", said Hermione, glaring at the book.

**"**_**Sorry**_**?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?" **

"It's getting even better.", grinned Ron, ducking before Hermione hand could connect with his head again, only to receive a full blast from Ginny who was now able to reach him.

"What's with people hitting me today.?"

**"All what?" asked Harry. **

"That you really didn't know anything up to this point, that's really...", Bill trailed off.

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. **

"Hagrids not amused."

**"Now wait jus' one second!" **

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. **

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy — this boy! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?"**

"He's actually quite sensitive. He could've just let the 'secret'out with that", said Molly.

"Well, I'm happy HE didn't."Ginny cast a look at Harry but didn't ask. 'So somebody did...'

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad. **

"He doesn't mean that you don't know anything.", said Ginny, grinning at him.

"I know that now. That was seven years ago."

**"I know **_**some **_**things," he said. "I can, you know, do maths and stuff." **

"Math and stuff. How could you think he meant those kind of things after he did magic right in front of your nose.", asked Ron, raising an eyebrow.

"Must have been the lack of sleep."

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About **_**our **_**world, I mean. **_**Your **_**world. **_**My **_**world. **_**Yer parents' world**_**." **

**"What world?" **

"Uh-Oh. Hagrid won't like that", said Charlie.

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode. **

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed. **

"She doing a really good job at shouting"

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." **

"Very smart Dursley.", grinned Neville. He was beginning to like those books.

**Hagrid stared wildly at Harry. "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I ****mean, they're **_**famous**_**. You're **_**famous**_**."**

**"What? My — my mum and dad weren't famous, were they?" **

"I really wouldn't want to be in his shoes that moment. Must have been quite hard to explain."

**"Yeh don' know … yeh don' know …" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. "Yeh don' know what yeh **_**are**_**?" he said finally. **

"No, he doesn't", Luna answered the obvious.

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

"Forbid Hagrid, I don't believe it."

"Now he's scared"

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage. **

"I've never seen him that angry.", said Ginny.

"I did.", said Harry.

"Idiot, you were there."

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?" **

"Yes, they did.", said Hermione, sounding as if she was restraining herself from saying more.

**"Kept **_**what **_**from me?" said Harry eagerly. **

"Oh, tell him already.", groaned Ginny.

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. **

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror. **

**"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry — yer a wizard." **

"So blunt. You didn't know anything and he just said it like that" It was Hermione's turn to groan.

"Well, it was probably the best like that, the suspense was killing me."

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. **

**"I'm a **_**what**_**?" gasped Harry. **

"I probably wouldn't have believed him either.", said Neville.

"You should've really sent someone with Hagrid.", said Molly, looking angry at McGonagall

"Dumbledore thought just Hagrid would be enough"

"Well, it's not like this was a bad idea.I really liked shopping with Hagrid."

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. **

"Too right he was"

**With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter." **

"About time.", said George.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to **_**Mr H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. **_**He pulled out the letter and read: **

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry **_

_**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
>(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) <strong>_

_**Dear Mr Potter, **_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. **_

_**Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31. **_

_**Yours sincerely,  
>Minerva McGonagall,<br>Deputy Headmistress **_

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?" **

"Of all the things you could've asked you chose this?" (Ron, disbelief)

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl**

"He had an owl in his pocket?" Harry and Ron knew this look. It was the same she put on when talking about spew, so the quickly gestured for Luna to read on. Not that this wasn't important, it was just the wrong time.

— **a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down: **

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore, **_

_**Given Harry his letter.  
>Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. <strong>_

_**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well. **_

_**Hagrid **_

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. **

"Hagrid!", exclaimed Hermione.

**Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. **

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly. **

George and Ron snorted loudly.

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight. **

**"He's not going," he said. **

"Of course he is.", said Ginny. "You can't keep a wizard from going to Hogwarts if he wants to go. At least not if you're a muggle."

**Hagrid grunted. **

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said. **

"Go Hagrid!"

**"A what?" said Harry, interested. **

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on." **

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!" **

"Stamp out that rubbish! How could they let alone think this would work.", Molly said angrily, once again reminding Harry of a sabertooth-tiger.

**"You **_**knew**_**?" said Harry. "You **_**knew **_**I'm a — a wizard?" **

"Of course they knew."

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "**_**Knew**_**! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that **_**school **_— **and came home every summer with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. **

"Is that even allowed?"

"Probably not, but she could be exagerating."

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! **

"She wasn't."

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years. **

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —**_**abnormal **_— **and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!" **

Molly and McGonagall had turned very white at this. Hermione also looked considerably paler that normal.  
>"That's how you found out?", asked Ginny, leaning closer to Harry.<p>

"Yep"

"That's horrible.", said Hermione.

"It was. But it wouldn't have gotten better if it had been explained later, believe me."

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!" **

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!" **

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently. **

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious. **

"I can understand why"

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." **

"Imagine I would have. That would've been horrible."

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys. **

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…" **

"It still is.", said Arthur "I really hope we will find out."

Harry, Ron and Hermione tried not to look too suspicious.

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —" **

"He wouldn't tell you his name.", said Charlie, matter-of-factly.

Harry smiled.

"You don't want to tell me that he did? That would be a new one."

**"Who?" **

**"Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does." **

**"Why not?" **

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this ****wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…" **

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out. **

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested. **

**"Nah — can't spell it. All right —**_**Voldemort**_**. " **

"I can't believe you got him to say that.", said Ron.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches … terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. **

**One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. **

"Hagrid's pretty good at foreshadowing, isn't he?", Ginny said grimly. Harry held her closer. He knew it must have been hard for those who had remained in Hogwarts. He had only heard about it but he had also seen the bruises of Neville and Seamus, not to mention those of the ones staying in the room of requirement when they had arrived there. There would be plenty of time to talk when they had finished those books.

**"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before … probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. **

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em … maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —" **

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn. **

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa… **

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. **

**Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. **

**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts -** **an' you was only a baby, an' you lived." **

Molly, now crying, was supported by Arthur as Luna had read this.

"The Prewetts were Mom's brothers.", explained Ron in a whisper which only Harry and Hermione could hear.

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. **

"Can you please stop remembering these things Harry, It's awful."

**Hagrid was watching him sadly. **

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…" **

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. **

"I think we all have."

**Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched. **

**"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured **— **and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion **

"He didn't just say that?", Bill said, disbelievingly.

— **asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — **

**just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -" **

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. **

**Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…" **

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent. **

**"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor. **

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them. **

"No wonder, asking about the owl, were you?", grinned Ron.

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" **

"That was actually a good question at that point.", said Arthur "Many people wondered about this."

'In Albania he was and nobody managed to find him for years.'

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see … he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go? **

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left inhim to die. **

"He didn't.", whispered Harry so only the rest of the trio and Ginny could hear him. She was getting curious but didn't ask.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. **

"And some only pretended", scowled Bill.

**Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. **

"The Imperius Curse!"

"We know that, Dad"

**Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. **

**Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. **

**Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — **_**I **_**dunno what it was, no one does **— **but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. **

"Not that again.", groaned Ron.

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? **

"It's not that easy. If it was we wouldn't have needed magic schools.", Percy pointed out.

**If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football? **

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." **

"I told you."

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. **

**"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?" **

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it … every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry … chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach … dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back … and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him? **

"So quite a lot of times.", Charlie chuckled.

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him. **

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

"And he'll love it.", grinned Ron.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. **

The audience groaned.

**"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —" **

"As if he could hold you up. Especially with Hagrid being there."

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. **

**He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled—" **

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon. **

"Now he's done it. One shouldn't insult Dumbledore if Hagrid is within earshot. Not that one should do it anyway."

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!" **

"See."

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers. **

They all burst into laughter. The image of a fat, mean cousin had lightened the mood almost instantly.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them. **

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard. **

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

"He really shouldn't have done that. He'll get you in trouble", said Molly, sounding concerned.

"Not if Harry doesn't tell. I don't think the Dursleys are willing to contact anyone about this.", said Bill.

"But he didn't have that tail back at the Quidditch World Cup, we...I...", George stopped.

"They brought him to a specialist in London to get it removed.", Harry answered quickly. "He couldn't have gone to school like that."

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows. **

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job." **

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry. **

**"Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

**"Why were you expelled?" **

"He won't tell. Hagrids gotten quite good at changing the subject to something random whenever this comes up.", said Charlie. "I'm sure quite a few people tried to find out."

The trio grinned at this.

"Don't tell me you've found out?"

"We may have done that. I'm not going to spoil the story.", said Harry, still grinning.

"Aww, come on.", whined Neville.

"Nope. We've agreed on not telling you those kind of things.", said Ron.

"And the books seem to have a good pacing, it'll be better to just listen.", said Hermione.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." **

"I don't wanna hear about a long shopping tour.", groaned Ron.

"I think it will be interesting to hear about this", argued Hermione. "Even for you."

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry. **

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' door mice in one o' the pockets."**

"Is there anything he hasn't got in his coat?", asked Neville.

"Dunno, seems to loads of things inside." answered Ron. "Aren't you going to continue Luna?"

"I thought I was only supposed to read one chapter?"

"So it's finished?, asked Ginny kindly.

"Yes, it is."

"That means it's my turn." Charlie seemed exited and started reading.


End file.
